Our Verdict
The HD 201 below-average everyday headphones. They lack a lot of features and have an uneven, bass-lacking sound. They also struggle in loud environments.
- Stable fit.
- lightweight, decently comfortable design.
- Low leakage.
- Poor isolation.
- Flimsy, all-plastic build.
- Bass lacking sound reproduction.
- Noticeable harmonic distortion.
- Bass delivery varies significantly across users. Sensitive to glasses.
Average for neutral listening. They sound a bit uneven and poorly balanced. Their closed-back design also limits their soundstage which is not ideal for neutral listening. However, for their price range, they have a sufficiently good audio reproduction for most casual listeners.
Not suitable for commuting. The poor passive isolation is not enough for loud environments. They're also a little flimsy and lack a few features for frequent commuters.
Below-average for sports. They're lightweight and surprisingly stable. However they're a bit too bulky, and the long cable is cumbersome.
Below-average for office use. They don't leak much but poorly isolate listeners. So the chatter of a busy office will seep into your audio.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Feb 16, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
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You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
Test Results
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